1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an alarm and warning system. More particularly it relates to a device which detects the discharge of a firearm inside or outside of a building and once detected issues a warning to occupants of the building of the discharge. The device in one embodiment will also direct occupants of the building to the nearest exit that is in a direction away from the point of discharge of the firearm in that building.
2. Prior Art
Modern society in industrialized nations tends conduct business inside of office and industrial buildings where workers work at assigned stations or in assigned offices in such buildings. Consequently, office buildings and commercial and industrial buildings tend to house hundreds if not thousands of employees on any given workday who complete their assigned tasks in an office environment.
With so many workers conducting business inside of buildings there is a constant threat to their safety from emergencies such as fire or hazardous chemicals. To protect workers from such hazards currently most buildings have some sort or warning system to inform employees and building occupants of an occurrence such as a fire that demands their immediate exit from the building for their safety.
However modern society has evolved to present another clear and present danger to employees and occupants of offices and commercial and industrial buildings. It is a common occurrence in modern society for a deranged individual for known or unknown reasons, to bring a firearm into such buildings and discharge that firearm inside.
While the danger to other employees, visitors, and occupants of a building from an individual discharging a firearm is extreme, currently there is no known system to detect such a firearm discharge and to warn occupants of the building of the danger. Fire alarms may warn of fire or chemical hazards and security guards might warn persons in their immediate vicinity of a perceived danger, however there exists no system to warn building occupants of a discharge of a gun or firearm style weapon inside the building and give them time to exit should the gunfire continue.
As such there exists a need for a device that will detect the discharge of a firearm inside of a building and identify the position of that discharge inside the building. Such a device should also be capable of warning occupants of the building in the event of such a firearm discharge. Such a device in its best mode should also endeavor to direct occupants of the building to an exit that is in a direction away from the site of the firearm discharge and out of harms way.
Applicant""s device provides an easily installed and operated alarm system for the detection of a firearm discharge inside or outside of a building or structure. The disclosed device herein features a plurality of remote firearm discharge detectors which constantly monitor the area proximate to their installation. Each such detector has thereon a means to detect the discharge of a firearm from the electronic signal generated by a sonic wave that a firearm transmits on discharge.
Once the detector has determined from predetermined parameters that a firearm has indeed been discharged in the proximity of the detector, an electronic signal is communicated to a remote central monitoring unit which determines from the signal communicated the exact location of the detector which has determined that a firearm has in fact been discharged. The central monitoring unit therein communicates two different alarm warnings. The first warning is to employees and other occupants of the monitored building that a firearm has been discharged. This is accomplished by the central monitoring unit communicating a signal to all other detector units in the building to sound an alarm in those units. The alarm would be audible or visible or both and would warn persons in the general proximity of each detector unit and would warn persons proximate thereto that a gunshot has been detected by another detector in the building and to exit the structure.
The audible alarm could be a simple buzzer or other similar audible warning or could be a prerecorded voice warning of a gunshot detection, and to immediately exit the structure. Additionally, the alarm transmitted by each detector could be visible in the form of a light or lights on each detector emitting a visible signal to exit the building. Optionally, the visible alarm could be an arrow or similar directional indicator that would direct building occupants toward a building exit away from the point of discharge of the firearm that has been detected. Occupants of the building proximate to any detector would therefor have both an audible alarm, a visible alarm, or both, to warn and direct them to exit.
Additional utility is provided by the disclosed device in the form of a transmission to police or security personnel of the discharge of a firearm in the building being monitored and the exact location of that discharge. This would be accomplished by the central monitoring unit using the telephone, or wireless broadcast of a warning to predetermined police or security personnel concurrent with the alarm sent by the central monitoring unit to the plurality of detectors to sound the alarm to building occupants.
The device features a means to detect the discharge of a firearm from the sonic wave generated by the firearm, located in each detector unit which in the current best mode features communication with a microphone or transducer to continually monitor the area proximate to the location of the detector. Sonic waves monitored by the transducer are communicated through an amplifier and though filters which only pass a signal that is between a certain high point and low point on the decibel scale. The signal therein passed by the filters is then timed by the detector for duration and then determines if the passed signal is of a predetermined length. If the signal received and transmitted by the transducer is of a sufficient decibel and for a sufficient time duration, it is determined by the detector to be a firearm discharge. The detector will then transmit a signal to the remote central monitoring unit which will activate all the other detectors mounted in the building to sound the alarm and concurrently communicate a signal to police or security personnel of the discharge. As noted, additional utility may be provided by provision of directional indicators on each detector unit to direct exiting occupants to an exit away from the site of the firearm discharge.
An object of this invention is providing a warning to occupants of a building or structure of the discharge of a firearm inside that structure.
Another object of this invention is to communicating to police or security personnel the exact location of a firearm discharge inside of a building.
A further object of this invention visually direct building occupants to leave the building by a route that will take them away from the site of the firearm discharge.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.